A Complicated Family
by starstruk97
Summary: The Knight Family, was a complicated family made up of Jennifer and her four adopted sons. With strong and different personailties and histories, will they be able to overcome their hatred for one another, and become the loving, safe, family Jennifer always wanted for them? Bromance, AU, Some Swearing, Some Violence, Mentions of Abuse, Murder and other upsetting histories.
1. Chapter 1

**This is really random; I just had this idea and wanted to get it down on paper. I don't know how good it is, it was really just something little to help me try to overcome writer's block. So please ignore any grammatical mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

The Knight household was a complicated family, made up of one single mother whose heart was made of gold and her four adopted sons. Jennifer Knight, was just an average height, average weight, average looking, middle aged woman with red hair. Fed up with arrogant and rude men, she decided to start her own family one week in late January. In a rush of love, she adopted four young boys, from four different orphanages', to call her own. Unfortunately, some of her boys didn't see the light of having a loving family and shielded themselves off from everyone. This didn't deter her from striving to make a family, though. She loved each of her sons equally, as if they were really her own.

Her eldest son, James, was the first of the boys' she adopted. Born on the 23rd of April, 1996, he was currently 16 and defiantly hitting his peak in physical attraction, pulling in girls left, right and centre. He was very vain and confident, which sometimes was a good thing, although more so a bad thing for his brothers and mother. James came from a rich family, who after a night of partying lost all their money to a major mob boss. Now bankrupt and associated with the 'wrong' crowd, they decided to give up their 3 year old son in order to protect him. One year later, both parents were murdered after being unable to pay off a debt.

Logan was second to be adopted, and is the second youngest being born on the 14th of February, 2001, making him 11. He was incredibly smart but also had a brutal side. At school, few bullies who had picked on him had been faced with his brutal side. To put it bluntly, they never bothered him again. Logan had lived with his single father in a dodgy apartment, in a rundown town before he went to live in the orphanage. His father, faced with depression, turned to drugs and alcohol. After months of this behaviour, his father was majorly addicted and started to spin out of control. Logan, after being threatened and scared by his father on multiple occasions, decided to do what he thought was best and ran away. Knowing he would not survive street life, he enrolled himself in the orphanage and stayed there until he was adopted by Jennifer.

Kendall was next to be adopted. Born on the 6th of August, 1998, he had just turned 14, making him the second eldest son. He had anger management and attitude problems and was probably the hardest to control out of the four of them. He was rude to everyone except his girlfriend Jo. At school (and at home) he was constantly getting in fights and being reprimanded for crude behaviour. Kendall had lived with his single mother, after his father abandoned her after finding out about her pregnancy. His mother was a loving woman who cared for him the best she could. When he was 6, his mother took him to the cinemas. While walking home that evening, a gang of teenagers mugged them. After his mother gave them everything they had, the leader took out a gun. His mother sacrificed herself for her sons' safety. He watched them shoot her dead. The police took him to the orphanage three days later.

The last to be adopted, and also the youngest son was Carlos. Born on the 28th of November, 2005 he was currently 6. He was the most innocent, sweet and kind child, one could ever meet. Unfortunately for him, he was faced with a list of disabilities: Asthma, Dyslexia, Anxiety, Growth problems and a slight Stutter. He was incredibly small for his age and was a Latino. Carlos had lived with both his parents until he was 4 and child services took him away. He had lived in an abusive household, getting beaten by his father almost every night. He was not allowed outside (unless he was kicked out) and was barely given enough food and water to survive. His father was now in prison and his mother's whereabouts are unknown.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

"Please?" A small, young Latino boy begged his older 'brother'.

"No!" Kendall stopped talking with Jo, his girlfriend, on Facebook to turn around in his chair to glare at his youngest adopted brother.

"Come on Kendall, _please_?" Large chocolate eyes stared up into green ones.

"For the last time Carlos, no! I'm talking to Jo. I don't have time to play with you or whatever. Go find someone else, or even better, make a god damned friend!" Kendall lightly shoved the small boy towards the door, Carlos stumbling slightly.

"_Kendall_ you're my brother, you're supposed to p-play with me! You can talk to Jo at any time! The sun isn't up too much longer! Please?"

"I'm not your brother Carlos." Kendall shrugged the kid off harshly. He hadn't accepted any of the three other adopted boys as his 'brothers' yet. After living in an orphanage most of his life and then just being thrown into a family with three also recently adopted kids, life was confusing, and so he preferred to just shut everyone else out.

"Yes you are! By law it says-"

"By law, yes. But by blood, no. So get lost." Kendall rudely interrupted, smirking at Carlos' confused and upset face.

"B-b-ut we're still brothers..." Carlos stuttered at a lost as to what to say.

"How about this, you do something for me, and then I'll do something for you." Kendall smiled innocently, luring the young boy into his trap.

"Alright!" Carlos shouted excitedly.

"Tell who my father was and where he is now, and then I'll play with you."

"B-b-but that doesn't make sense. It's only us four and mama Knight... we don't have a dad." Carlos looked puzzled trying to decipher Kendall's words.

"No, my _real _father. You know, the one that left my _real_ mum after knocking her up!" Kendall yelled in Carlos' face.

"That's unfair! No one knows!"

"Exactly, so now I'll never have to play with you."

"But, now we're your real family. So what does it matter? We l-love you."

"Yeah, well I don't love you. You're not my family and will never be. So scram, twerp!" Kendall shoved Carlos a little harder and turned back to the computer, ignoring his younger brother's sniffles and retreating footsteps.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

"L-l-logan?" Carlos tentatively said as he peaked his head around the door to the office.

Rolling his eyes, Logan answered, "Yes?"

"I-I was ju- I am... I just... um-" Carlos stumbled over his words unsure of whether to ask Logan to play or not.

"You're incapability to form a sentence astounds me sometimes." Logan laughed bitterly at the stuttering boy,

"I-I don't know what that means..." Carlos admitted, lost with the big words spewing out of Logan's mouth.

"Of course you don't." Logan shook his head.

"Well, anyway, Logie-" Carlos was rudely interrupted by Logan's fake cough. "Oh, I ah, I meant Logan. _Logan_, will you play with me?"

"Yeah, no. I actually have the IQ of genius. I think I'm a little bit beyond child's play."

"Please? We can do anything you like!" Carlos gave his biggest puppy dog eyes.

"Fine. What about reading? Oh, wait! You can't even read!" Logan ruffled Carlos' hair roughly, the younger boy pulling away with a yelp.

"That's not fair! It's not my fault. You know I have dis- dilex- deles..." Carlos finished the word mumbled under his breath.

"Say it." Logan smirked. "SAY IT!" he yelled when Carlos shook his head.

"Dilesia? D-dismexa? ... I can't say it!" Carlos cried, shoulders slumped in humiliation.

"Its _dyslexia, _you retard." Logan burst out laughing at the young boys 'stupidity'.

"Please just play with me?" Carlos whined.

"Desaparecer, weggehen, s'en aller, mynd i ffwrdd, umalis, ga weg!"

"Huh?" Carlos didn't understand one word.

"I just told you to go away in Spanish, German, French, Welsh, Filipino and Dutch. And now in English: GO AWAY!"

Carlos ran off upset and insulted, yet again.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

"Hey James." Carlos crawled up onto the couch near his eldest brother, who was watching a makeover show.

"What?" James snapped irritated.

"Would you like to play with me, please?" Carlos begged.

"Can't you see I'm busy here?" James growled.

"B-but you can record it. And it's on again later as well..." Carlos pointed out.

"Did I ask for your opinion?"

Carlos didn't know what 'opinion' was, so he ignored the question, "Why won't you play with me?"

"Because I'm 16 and you're 3-"

"I'm 6!"

"Whatever! Go play with Logan or Kendall."

"They said no."

"That sucks for you then."

"_Please play with me!" _Carlos whimpered.

James breathed in deeply, trying to hold back from hitting the kid, when an idea struck him. "Go ask Kendall again. Maybe he is finished talking with Jo for the day and now wants something to do. I bet he'd love to play with you now."

"Alright." Carlos shrugged dejectedly before making his way to the boys' large shared bedroom.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

"H-hey Kendall." Carlos shyly said, slowly walking up to the wooden desk Kendall was sitting at.

"You again? Didn't I tell you to scram?" Kendal groaned, annoyed.

"I thought that maybe you were finished talking to Jo and would like to p-play with me?" Carlos suddenly seemed incredibly interested in his shirt.

"Even if I was, I wouldn't play with you."

"Why? That's no very nice!"

"I thought you would have learnt by now that I'm not a nice person."

"Sure you are! Everybody's nice!" Carlos smiled, trying to make his brother happier.

"NO THEIR NOT!" Kendall screamed, launching out of his chair to grab Carlos' collar, towering over the small, frightened boy. "Do you think the bloody teenagers who mugged and murdered my mother in front of me were nice? Huh?"

"E-e-everybody is n-nice... M-maybe they had a r-reason?" Carlos started to hyperventilate, struggling futilely to escape Kendall's gasp.

"I was 6! And they shot my mum in front of me! And you're calling them nice! You're a dumb ass little shit!"

"B-b-but even R-r-r-afael had a n-nice side..." Carlos let a tear slip down his red cheek.

"Who the hell is Rafael? Your daddy?" Kendall asked sceptical. Carlos nodded. "Yeah well your life wasn't as bad as mine, so don't compare your weak excuse at a 'sad' life to mine!"

"B-but you d-d-on't know a-anything a-about my f-f-f-amily."

"Let me guess? Your parent didn't want you so they just placed you in an orphanage? Or did they love you so much they gave you up to save you? What 'horrible' life did baby Carlos have, huh?"

Carlos let his tears fall freely as memories of his past came back to haunt him. Anxiety kicked in and he started feeling panicky. "M-m-y life wasn't l-like that! It was b-b-bad... I d-don't want to talk about it!"

"Yeah, sure your life was bad! Do you know what I don't understand? Everyone knows about James, Logan and my history, and yet Jennifer won't tell us yours? Is yours just so fantastic it'll make us feel even more like shit, hey? Spoiled little brat!"

"Th- thas- nn-n-... t-t-tr- not..." Carlos choked and sputtered over his words, a panic attack settling in.

"I hate people like you! So bloody lucky and yet so selfish! Why did Jennifer adopt you over someone else? What makes Carlos, Mr. I have a perfect life, come before someone else? You make me sick." Kendall yelled, tears in his eyes.

Carlos couldn't even spit out a sound, his panic attack was bad. Oxygen deprivation forced his legs to give way and for him to fall limp into Kendall's grip.

"What the hell is your problem?" Kendall spat, disgusted. Carlos started to claw at Kendall's clothes; he didn't know what he was doing, just knowing that he had to do something. "You're a freak!" Kendall exclaimed, letting go of Carlos' collar but the boy still held onto his shirt. "GET OFF!" Kendall shrieked, slapping the boy harshly across the cheek, forcing him to collapse to the ground with a cry.

Kendall grabbed the hyperventilating child by the arm, dragging him across the floor until he reached the broom closet. He opened the door and shoved the terrified kid inside, closing the door and 'locking' it with a chair under the knob.

As Kendall walked back to the bedroom, he could hear frantic fists pounding the door until Carlos grew too weak to continue. Kendall shivered at the freaky scene he had just been faced with. Was that kid possessed or something? He starts off thinking his life was worse than Kendall's and then it clinging and clawing at him like his life depended on it... Freak.

**Done. Ummm I hope you liked it. PLEASE REVIEW WITH COMPLIMENTS, CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM OR SUGGESTIONS! I don't know if this will or will not be continued, but if any of ur suggestions hit me, it may ;) ;) feel free to PM if you like the idea and/or story and want to adopt it or adapt your own story from it! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the wait. I'm not the best updater... this is an understatement. But at least now you have the second chapter! Yayayay! Enjoy readers! BTW, I have a poll on my profile, if you want a story updated, answer the poll! **

"Boys! I'm home!" Jennifer called as she walked inside the front door, a paper bag full of food in one arm. She looked around and saw James at the TV and a light on in the study. She assumed Logan was in there and Kendall and Carlos upstairs somewhere.

Dumping the food on the kitchen bench, she went to say 'hi' to James.

"Afternoon, honey." She greeted him

"Hey." James nodded, eyes never leaving the TV.

Jennifer signed and headed to the study. "Logan, hello hon."

"Good evening." Logan said tightly.

"What are you up to?" Mrs Knight smiled lovingly.

"Reading an encyclopaedia on Parkinson's Disease." Logan said proudly.

"That's wonderful. I hope you enjoy that."

"I will."

Jennifer lightly closed the door and headed upstairs into the boys bedroom where she found Kendall on his laptop.

"Hello Kendall." She smiled sweetly.

"Jennifer." He glared at her.

"Darling, you know you can call me mum, right?"

"I like Jennifer."

"Oh, alright. Take your time with it. You'll adapt."

"Sounds great." Kendall growled sarcastically.

Jennifer signed sadly as left the room in search of you littlest son. After failed attempts at finding him she decided to call out, "Carlos? Carlos, darling, where are you?" Becoming worried when she received no answer, her suspicions went straight to Kendall. He had been trouble in the house since he was adopted and most of the problems the family faced originated from him.

She made her way back to the bedroom and addressed Kendall, "Kendall, do you know where Carlos is?"

"Nope."

She eyed him, "Kendall Donald Knight, tell me where your brother is. Now, please."

"He's in the broom closet." Kendall signed, rolling his eyes.

"What?" Mrs Knight gasped, "What is he doing in there?"

"He spazzed out and was, like, possessed or something. So I threw him in there."

"Oh no." Mrs Knight whispered, running out of the room to the broom closet. She pulled away the chair and opened the door to find the tiny form of her youngest son, unconscious on the floor. "Carlos!" She grabbed his limp form lightly, pulling him into her sitting lap. Lightly tapping his face and shaking his small shoulders he slowly started to wake.

"That's a boy, Carlos. Open your eyes. You can do it. Good boy, good boy." Carlos opened his eyes dizzily, focusing on the woman above him.

"Mama Knight!" The young boy cried, launching his small arms around her neck and crying into her shirt.

Jennifer patted her sons back soothingly, whispered sweet words in his ear as he cried. Mrs Knight had become good at controlling Carlos' panic attacks, and slowly the young child stopped sobbing. "Carlos, can you tell me what happened?"

Carlos shook his head, eyes wide.

"Don't worry. You won't get in trouble. Just tell me."

"K-k-kendall..." Carlos started crying again. When he calmed down, Mrs Knight was able to get the whole story out of him.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

Kendall, Logan, James and Jennifer were sitting around the dinner table in tense silence. Mrs Knight had called them all here for a 'family meeting' regarding serious matters. She looked angry and disappointed, but had yet enlightened the boys as to why. Each boy sat confused and anxious on the opposite side of the table, eyeing Mrs Knight uncomfortably.

"Well," she started, "we have some serious concerns of mine to discuss."

"Regarding?" Logan queried.

"Carlos." She said flatly, eyeing Kendall.

"Go on." James tilted his head.

"When I came home this afternoon I found Carlos unconscious, locked in the broom closet. Courtesies of Kendall. He had had a panic attack and hyperventilated until he was knocked unconscious by oxygen deprivation. This is a matter not to be taken lightly boys. He could have died or received serious brain damage. Furthermore, I was also told that each of you boys rejected and/or insulted him when he asked you to play. This is not accepted either. You boys are brothers now. He is now your little brother, and you will treat him as such. You all have traumatic pasts; you know how hard it is. Help each other through these hardships. Be friends, be brothers, be family. Would any of you like to say anything?"

"Yeah, I would!" Kendall said angrily."You say we all have traumatic pasts, and everyone knows Logan's, James' and mine, but we aren't told Carlos'? How is that fair? You say for us to help each other... How are we even supposed to help with something we don't know about! I want to know about Carlos' past!"

"Yeah!" Both James and Logan agreed angrily.

"Carlos, come here honey." Jennifer called to the side, where Carlos had been hiding behind a wall. He slowly peaked his head around the corner, big, innocent eyes, wide open. "Come on."

He slowly made his way forward, keeping an eye on Kendall the whole time. He silently stood beside his mum, fear in his eyes.

"Carlos, the boys want to know about your past. May I tell them?" Jennifer asked her son slowly.

Carlos shook his head fast, tears forming in his eyes.

"Please Carlos? They deserve to know. You know theirs."

Carlos didn't say or do anything for a minute, before letting his tears spill over and running upstairs to his room.

Jennifer signed, "Well boys, as you know, Carlos has Dyslexia and a slight stutter, but he also has Asthma, Anxiety and growth problems, which is why he is so little. If you don't know about these problems, then I suggest you research into them. They are quite severe. Anyway, onto his past, Carlos was 4 when Child Services took him to the orphanage... Boys, Carlos came from an abusive family. He wasn't allowed outside, he was malnourished and his father beat him every night. Things were serious boys. Carlos was sent to the hospital so many times with broken bones, internal bleeding and what else, that his family had to forge new names on his hospital forms so they wouldn't get caught. And that was only when they could be bothered taking him to the hospital. His father not only beat him with punches and kicks, but also whipped him and used other weapons against him. Doctors are amazed that Carlos is even alive today, with what he has been through. He was burnt, beat, drugged, forced to consume alcohol, tied up and locked within small dark spaces every day. He is scarred for life from this. There's obviously a lot of detail I could go into, but I won't. That's for him to share when he's ready. Now, I hope that you have taken this all in and will treat Carlos differently now. With more respect and care. Boys, he is only 6. He needs the care and love. He needs his older brothers."

All three boys were silent, taking in all the information they had just heard.

"Now, help me get diner started. We are having fish stick Friday!" Jennifer smiled at her three oldest children warmly; reassuring them that she stilled loved them and was not angry with them anymore.

The boys stood up and started helping with diner in silence. Still trying to figure out their reaction to the news they had been told.

**DONE! Sorry it is short, but its late and I'm in exam block, so I think this is pretty good :D REVIEW PLEASE! And nothing hurtful thanks! ALSO : GO TO MY PROFILE AND ANSWER MY POLL, PLEASE! TRUST ME ITS WORTH IT! Thanks. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow guys, I'm so sorry, but it's been a while since I've updated! I've had school and sport, but the good thing is – I'm now on holidays! So hopefully I'll be updating more regularly! This story is in big demand on my poll so I thought I'd get to it and add another chapter! Yay for you guys! If you like one of my other stories and want it to be updated, just go to my poll! Now onto the story...**

Dinner was ready and still only few words had been spoken after the 'family meeting' earlier that evening.

"Boys, put the food and cutlery on the table and I will go get Carlos." Mama Knight smiled gently at her older sons as she made her way up stairs. "Carlos?" Jenifer said sweetly, through the closed wooden door to the boys' shared bedroom, "Diner's ready!" After receiving no response, she slowly turned the door handle and pushed the door open with a creek, "Carlos?"

Carlos was sitting on his bed, knees pulled up to his chest, sobbing quietly. He lifted his tear stained face and with red rimmed eyes cried to his mother, "They h-hate me know, don't they? You want me to l-leave. Why would you want me? I'm sorry! I-I-I'll eave..." His small torso, rising quickly with each breath.

"Oh, Darling," Mrs Knight cooed, walking over and grabbing her youngest into her arms, "They don't hate you now. Don't worry." She hugged him tightly, big tears wetting her shirt, "I would die if you left 'Litos, die! I love you so, so much! You're the world to me."

Big, teary eyes looked up into hers, "R-really?"

"Really. I love you Carlos." Jennifer placed the young child on the ground and softly grabbed his little hand in hers, "Let's head down stairs and get some yummy diner, yeah?"

Carlos nodded hesitantly and let Mama Knight lead him to the kitchen where the table was set, his three older brothers standing around awkwardly.

"Let's eat!" Mrs Knight smiled, moving towards the table, letting go of Carlos' hand, "oh no, I left your booster chair in the car 'Litos." She signed tiredly, "Give me a minute and I'll just go grab it."

"Uh-" Logan tapped Jennifer on the arm, looking downwards, "no need, just give me a minute." He ran off quickly, coming back with his arms full of three large textbooks. He placed the large books on Carlos' seat, "he can just sit on these... It'd be easier..." He awkwardly made his way to his seat, blushing slightly.

"Thanks Logan, that will compensate just fine." Jennifer smiled at her eleven year old son.

Carlos silently made his way to his seat before stopping beside it. He looked up to the top of the books, looming above his head.

"Here buddy, I'll give you a lift." James said softly, reaching down to grab his littlest brother.

Carlos shrieked lightly, jumping back from James' hands. One fat tear, dipping down his cheek.

"Oh, sorry... I..." James stuttered, embarrassed and ashamed, he quickly turned around and sat in his seat, hiding his face.

"It's ok James, he's still just a little sensitive and scared." Jennifer smiled sadly towards her oldest son as she easily picked up her youngest, placing him on top of the book pile.

Once everyone was seated, they thanked God for the food and began to hungrily munch on their diner. The atmosphere was tense. No words were spoken.

The older boys efficiently cleaned up the kitchen and dishes after they had finished eating, while Mrs Knight placed Carlos on the floor.

"Logan, would you like me to put your books away?" Jennifer asked.

"Yes thank you." Logan smiled, lob-sided.

"Carlos, could you help me?" Mrs Knight crouched to her sons' level. He nodded softly. "Thank you." She placed the smallest book into his arms, hoping he'd be able to hold it. Although he struggled, he was able to follow his mother into the office without dropping the heavy book. Jennifer placed her books away and then did the same with Carlos'. Leading her son back out to the kitchen, James, Kendall and Logan had finished cleaning up. "Why don't you boys head up stairs now. Bed time is soon." All four nodded and headed up stairs.

Once in their bedroom, the four boys looked at each other awkwardly.

"So..." James mumbled, hands in his pockets, swaying back and forth on his toes.

"Do you hate me?" A soft whisper broke the tense silence.

The three taller boys whipped their head to their little brother in shock.

"_Fuck!_ I can't handle this right now!" Kendall growled, stomping off to his bed, throwing himself under the sheet and blocking everyone out with his new iPod headphones.

Carlos watched in sadness, believing that to be a 'yes' to his question. Tears welled up in his eyes, a couple breaking the barrier.

"Carlos," Logan signed, kneeling beside the Latino, "we don't _hate _you."

"He does!" Carlos pointed a tiny finger in Kendall's direction, more tears spilling down his rosy cheeks.

"No he doesn't... he just doesn't know how to express his feelings." James explained, scratching his neck, "He doesn't really know how to cope in this house, with this new life."

"If you guys don't hate me, then w-why are you always so mean?" Carlos whimpered, shoulders slouched.

"Uh..." Neither boys could answer that one.

"Well, there's the age difference... I mean we are quite a bit older than you. We are into different things." Logan offered, looking towards James for some help.

"We've all got to like something the same! Right?" Carlos whined.

"Uh..." Once again, each boy didn't know what to say.

"Right?" Carlos whispered inaudibly.

"Buddy, maybe when you're a little older, okay? Things will be a bit easier..." James suggested weakly.

"Come on, head up little one," Logan fake smiled, "We don't hate you, you're our brother. Now we should get to bed. We've got school tomorrow." He ruffled Carlos' hair lightly, earning only a mild flinch from the boy. He quickly stood up and made his way to his bed.

"He's right Buddy," James said, looking down at Carlos, "don't worry about it. Everything will be alright." He smiled and patted Carlos on the shoulder before also heading to bed.

Carlos stood their silently, confused. They said they didn't hate him. That was a plus. They said everything would be alright. Another plus. They said they were brothers. Plus. But he couldn't stop asking himself 'why?'.

_Why_ couldn't they have something in common? _Why _couldn't Kendall talk to him? _Why_ was their age such a big factor? Why... _Why_, couldn't they say '_I love you'_?

It was only three words! Right? He had said them to Kendall only a couple hours prior! Mama Knight could say it to him! So why couldn't his brothers?

Shoulders slumped, eyes teary and puffy, and heart shattered, the young boy made his way to his bed, snuggled under the baby blue sheets and closed his eyes, letting one more tear fall.

They now knew his deepest secret... and still couldn't say 'I love you'.

Gazing out the window to his left, he stared at the stars twinkling bright in the nights sky.

His older brother, Roberto, had pulled him aside the night he ran away...

"_Pwease on't weave Roberto!" A toddler Carlos cried quietly to his older brother, grabbing onto his shirt as tight as his miniature fists would allow._

"_I have to Carlitos. It's not safe for me here anymore. I know you may be too young to understand but, if I'm still here come morning, Rafael will kill me. I can't stay here after what I have done." Carlos'14-year-old brother said softly, rubbing his baby brothers back. _

"_Then twake me wif you!" Carlos cried._

"_It's too dangerous. What I'm going to do... what I _need _to do isn't safe. There are people out their worse than dad. People who won't hesitate to kill someone... even a 3-year-old like yourself. Stay here. Be safe. I know you're strong enough to live through this Carlos. You can survive this and once you're old enough, you will live a perfect life with a beautiful family. You hear me?"_

_Carlos nodded, a waterfall of tears pouring out of his eyes. "Will I eva see you gen?"_

"_I don't know buddy." Roberto finally let his tears fall, hugging his brother tightly. _

"_How will you memba me?" Carlos looked up with chocolate eyes._

"_See the stars Carlos?" Carlos nodded, "whenever I look up and see them, I'll think of you. A thousand beautiful, strong, brave and bright lights. It's like sprinkling little bits of you across the night's sky. You're the light of my life Carlos. Don't forget that. Even though you're not with me, you are guiding me. Everything I do, everything I think, will be for you. I love you, Carlos."_

_Roberto swept his weeping brother into his tightest embrace, holding him there for a long minute. When he pulled away, he looked deep into his brother's agony filled eyes. "When the stars come out a night Carlos, I'll think of you."_

"_And I'll fwink of you too." Carlos sobbed._

_Roberto grabbed Carlos non-casted hand, "I love you."_

_And then he was gone. Climbing out the window, down the tree and running into the night, for Carlos to never see again._

Carlos took one last look at the stars above before whispering, "I love you."

**Okay, not my best... or longest chapter, but I still hoped you liked it. I even added the sad part in the end... I actually nearly cried while writing it... I cry easily. ANYWAY, ideas? I'm not sure if I should start to close the story or not... so please recommend your thoughts! Also, do my poll! Thanks guys!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'll tell you now, this is SHORT! VERY VERY SHORT! The explanation is in the end note, but for now, just enjoy this little segment of JARLOS bromance! ENJOY!**

The next morning came fast, all boys feeling drained of sleep. Sluggishly, James pulled himself out of bed, slamming his fist down on his alarm clock, silencing it. Rubbing his eyes, he made his way over to Logan's bed.

"Logan," He lightly shook his shoulder, stirring the boys from his sleep, "Wake up."

Noticing the boys had been thoroughly woken, he proceeded to march up to Kendall, shaking him rougher than he did with Logan, know the boy was a heavy sleeper.

"WAKE UP KENDALL!" James yelled in his ear, finally shocking Kendall from his sleep. In doing so, he also woke Carlos from his slumber. "Get ready for school Carlos." He called over to the little boy nicely.

The four boys proceeded to have their showers, get dresses, clean their rooms and pack their bags before heading downstairs to breakfast. Mrs Knight had made pancakes for the boys – plain, blueberry, chocolate and cinnamon. She also had out a plate of cooked bacon, scrambled eggs and fresh fruit beside the maple syrup, sugar jar, butter and lemons. The whole lot looked and smelt delicious.

"Looks wonderful Jennifer, what's the special occasion?" Logan asked, staking his plate with two blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, scrambled eggs and some watermelon and grapes from the fruit bowl.

"Thank you Logan, I just thought that this weekend was a little eventful, and you all deserved a nice treat to lighten things up a bit, considering you have school today." Mrs Knight smiled cheerfully, placing a cinnamon pancake on her plate.

"Well thank you very much, it's delicious!" James smiled, mouth full bacon and eggs.

Carlos silently took a small plain pancake and placed it on his plate, starring at it for a good minute. He looked up to see his mum looking at his with a questioning glace. Carlos just gave a small smile before placing a tiny dollop of butter onto the pancake. He then poked and played with his food, not eating anything.

Mrs Knight saw the strange behaviour of her youngest child but decided against mentions it out loud, hoping to steer away from any more confrontations or arguments for a while.

Kendall ate greedily, munching his way through six pancakes, 3 strips of bacon, 2 servings of eggs and multiple dips at the fruit platter. He looked at Mrs Knight briefly, nodding slightly and leaving the table to grab his backpack.

Mrs Knight signed, when was she going to get through to that boy? Most importantly, _how_?

She waved her four sons off as they walked together to school, not much conversation being shared.

Carlos struggled to keep up with his bigger brothers' footsteps, starting to trial behind. James noticed this and stopped for a minute, letting him catch up. Silently, he softly took Carlos' tiny hand into his, helping him keep up with his eldest brother.

The other two went ahead, splitting up and meeting with their friends.

James saw his friends as soon as he reached the front gate, waving when they called out to him.

"Sup James!" A blonde boy high fived him.

"Hey guys." James addressed everyone, "Hey mate, who're you?" He smiled when he saw a new boy in the group.

"Name is Allister. Nice to meet you James. I just moved her on Saturday, I'm a distant friend of Sally here." Allister held his hand out politely, James shaking it with a smile.

"Nice to have you on board Allister!"

"Who's the little one?" Allister asked, noticing the tan child holding James' hand.

"That's my little brother, Carlos." James said.

"Brother?" Allister scrunched up his eye brows.

"Yeah..." James raised one of his eyebrows in question.

"Oh, it's just that... well he's Hispanic and you're not." Allister as well as a couple others in the group looked confused.

"Oh, well..." James hadn't told many people he was adopted, thinking people would judge him. That was one of the reason's he didn't hang out with his brothers – then no questions would be asked.

He signed, knowing that there was no way out of this one. "We're adopted brothers." He explained.

"Oh, that's cool! So your family adopted him?" Allister seemed quite interested.

"Ahh, not quite... We're both adopted." James looked downwards, embarrassed.

"Dude, that's so cool! Is it just the two of you and your parents?"

"No, there are four of us adopted boys. Us and our mum, Jennifer." James smiled weakly.

"Man, that is so cool! I had a friend in my old town who was adopted. A year or so older than me. When I grow up, I'm thinking of adopting too! I think it's an awesome program. Lots of nice kids." Allister smiled widely. James joined him, liking the acceptance and support.

"Well Allister, nice to talk with you, we'll have to catch up again soon. Right now though, I gotta drop Carlos off at his class. See you!" James waved as he walked Carlos to his classroom.

"Here you go..." James said softly. He had never held hands with Carlos and had never walked him to class before, so this was a first. "I better get going." He nodded to Carlos before walking off.

"Wait." A small voice mumbled. James turned around and looked at Carlos.

"Thank you." Carlos mumbled sincerely, looking down.

"That's alright," James smiled, "brother."

Carlos looked up at that, smiling. Waving as his brother left.

**Yes, yes, yes, horribly short! I know! I am just really tired and with Christmas soon, I'm busy and would like to update beforehand! I'll try to get another short or medium chapter done tomorrow to make up for this, but for now, I thought I'd leave you with something little, It's better than nothing! Answer my poll, REVIEW, and give me your suggestions!**

**REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry that it's been a while. Christmas was busy. But here in another chapter! Yay! Enjoy.**

"Good morning class!" Mrs Peachers smiled to her class of 6 to 7 year olds. "Today we have some really fun activities to do! Do you want to have fun?"

The class cheered in agreement. Smiles lighting up the room.

"Well, for Art today, we are going to make cards! You can colour them and decorate them however you want, and then give them to a special someone. Maybe your mum or dad? A brother or sister? Even a friend or grandparent! Your choice! Now, line up, single file, and come grab some coloured cardboard! We have green, blue, yellow, orange, white, pink, purple and red! The decorating equipment is up the back. Before we start, what are the rules?"

"Clean up your mess. Share. Be careful." The class yelled out, reciting the rules they had been learning all year.

"Good work! Now you may start!"

The class ran off, collecting the stuff they needed and heading back to their desks.

Carlos walked up to the cardboard, deciding who he should make the card for. He had made Mama Knight one two weeks ago, so he thought maybe this time to make one of his brothers one.

"Mrs Peachers?" Carlos looked up to his teacher with wide eyes.

"Yes Carlos?" Mrs Peachers smiled.

"Can we make more than one card?"

"Oh, I don't think we will have time darling. Who were you planning to make them for?"

"My brothers." Carlos signed.

"How many brothers do you have?"

"Um, three." Carlos smiled sadly, feeling bad for leaving Roberto out, but knowing the context of the question didn't include him.

Mrs Peachers looked at the saddened boy with inquisitive eyes. "How about this Carlos, you start making one card now, and at lunch you can come in and make the other two?"

Carlos smiled at the offer. "Yes, thank you Mrs Peachers!" He grabbed an orange card and ran off to grab some glitter.

After completing one brilliant, glittery, colourful card for James, he placed the special object in his backpack. He heard the bell ring and watched as the other children ran out of the classroom to eat. He looked toward Mrs Peachers with his chocolate eyes.

"Yes, Carlos. You may come in and continue card-making."She smiled at the innocent boy as he grabbed green and blue cards, more glitter and some sparkly glue. By the end of Lunch, he had two more artistic and beautiful cards in his bag, and had even had time for a banana. He smiled to himself, imagining what his brothers will do when he gives them their cards. '_They're going to love them!_' he thought.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

The day proceed as usual for Carlos; exciting and interactive classes, filled with many games and activity sheets. They were finishing off a Math sheet when the bell for Big Lunch sounded. Mrs Peachers excused them all from class and then watched as the small group of kids pounded out of the classroom.

Carlos quickly grabbed his small lunchbox and headed out into the eating area. He looked around for somewhere to sit. He watched as all the other children his age, caught up with their friends, laughing and sharing the food their parents had packed them. He wished he could do that. That he had friends. He had never gotten the chance to make any though. Growing up in an abusive household didn't spare time for outside activities, and definitely not for socializing. The orphanage wasn't much better. They gave you the time to make friends of course, it was just that nobody wanted to be friends with the small, troubled Latino orphan, who was covered in scars and scared of everything.

Carlos signed, looking towards his normal secluded corner, under a small oak tree. His shoulder slumped when he saw a group of boys there, maybe 7 or 8 years old. Searching the rest of the grounds, he found no where that was empty and had a decent distance from other students.

'_Maybe James will let me sit with him...?'_ Carlos thought hopefully, noticing the boys' action to him earlier become more brotherly.

He smiled to himself and started making his way to where the older boys sat.

On his way, a loud, angry yell flooded his ears. "You fucking bitch!"

Carlos tilted his head to the side... he had heard that voice before.

He sneaked up to the wall, pressing his body against it lightly. He peaked around the corner, searching for the owner of the voice. He eyes widened when he saw the boy yelling was Kendall.

"Oh, get over it!" A blonde girl rolled her eyes cruelly. Who was she?

"B-but... You and I?" Kendall stumbled over his words.

"B-but" The girl mocked, "Really Kendall? Why would someone like _me_, go for someone like _you_? I can do so much better!"

"Jo." Kendall whispered sadly, "Did you ever like me?"

Carlos slapped a hand over his month when he realised the mean girl was Jo. Jo! Kendall's one and only love! His one and only friend! How could she do this to him?

"Ha!" She laughed, "No way. _Never_!"

Kendall looked as if he was about to say something but the words couldn't come out. He gave up and ran off, teary eyed.

Carlos looked back at the blonde girl as she continued to make out with the muscular boy she cheated on Kendall with. Presumably her _new _boyfriend.

Carlos was too shocked to do anything. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. Truthfully, he couldn't properly comprehend it either, but he knew it was bad, and it was Jo's fault. He kept staring as the two young teens kissed. He noticed the masculine boy make eye contact with him, the boys' eyes narrowing. He pulled away from the kiss and whispered something into Jo's ear. They both turned to look at his suspiciously. Carlos' eyes widened as they both smirked and made their way over to him. He wouldn't have run, if he could, but he was scared still. They approached him and stood in front of the 6 year old, crowding him against the wall.

"What were you just doing, spying on us?" Jo said accusingly, eyes evil.

Carlos opened his month to say something but couldn't. He didn't know what to say. He was confused, scared and alone.

"Are you going to answer her question kid?" The older boy growled menacingly. Carlos once again couldn't answer.

"Who is this kid? Is he disabled or something?" Jo laughed with the boy.

"Let's find out." The guy grabbed Carlos' small lunch box out of his tiny tan hands. Carlos reached to take it back but was shoved away with one of the guy's arms.

"What's his name Matt?" Jo asked, eyes searching the lunch box for a name.

"Carlos Knight." Matt smiled at Jo, a glint in his eye.

"Knight." Jo turned to Carlos, crouching down to his height, leaning in close. "Are you Kendall's little brother?"

"Y-yes." Carlos squeaked.

"Then why are you Mexican?" Matt spat.

"I-I'm n-not. We-We're –" Carlos stuttered but was interrupted by Jo.

"He's adopted Matt. Kendall is too. Also another two boys are. One little family of adopted failures."

"Hey! T-that's not true!" Carlos gasped, insulted.

"Yes it is." Jo growled, "None of you four will amount to anything! Your families didn't want you and no one else does either."

"Nah ah!" Carlos cried, "Logan's going to be a doctor! A-and James' is going to be a model... or a pop star... o-or an actor! And Kendall is going to be a famous hockey player! And I-I'm going to be a cop or something."

"Cute. He actually thinks he has a future outside prostitution." Jo laughed, throwing an arm around Matt.

"W-what's that?" Carlos asked, confused and upset.

Jo just laughed and shook her head, "Come on Matt, let's go. The little twerp doesn't know anything."

As the two walked off, Carlos felt bravery flicker inside of him. "I saw what you did to Kendall." That stopped both of the older teens in their tracks. They turned around angry, striding back over to him.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Matt threatened.

"I-I... I'm going to tell!" Carlos lifted his chin, "What you did was mean and u-unfair. You're going t-to get into t-trouble."

Jo and Matt both stared at the Kid intensely for a minute, trying to figure out what action to take. Jo made up her mind and nudged Matt in the side with her elbow. He looked to her with a smirk. She nodded.

Before Carlos could comprehend what they were planning, Matt's large hand came out of nowhere and slapped the small child across the cheek harshly. Carlos' head smacked to the side and his little body fell into the wall.

"You're not going to tell _anyone_! Understand? Because if you do, I will beat you up so bad your mum is going to send you _back_ to the orphanage so she does have to look at your deformed face for one more second." Matt growled darkly, grabbing Carlos' chin in his hand.

Carlos gasped and tears sprung to his eyes. Matt, knowing that he was starting to scare the kid, continued, "And then, I'll do the same to Logan, Kendall and James. Except..." Matt leaned in close to Carlos, using his grip on the child's chin to pull his face closer, until they were only inches apart. "Except, they may not live through it."

By this point, Carlos was shaking as sobs wracked his small body. "Understand?" Matt squeezed his chin hard enough to leave little bruises, Jo watched with a smile.

"Y-y-y-yes." Carlos cried, "I-I-I w-won't t-t-tell!"

"Good boy." Matt shoved the boy back against the wall again before letting his chin go. He reached down and grabbed the boys discarded lunch box. He turned and threw it as far across the oval as he could, which was quite far for a fourteen year old. The plastic box smacked against the ground, the pressure of the impact popping the lid off and throwing the contents everywhere. "Fetch, wetback." Matt and Jo laughed at the crying boy and walked off.

"Did you mean that threat?" Jo asked as leant into Matt's strong embrace.

"Not really. I'd never kill them. I don't want to go to jail. But... that doesn't mean I won't beat the shit outta them if he squeals."

"Good." Jo smiled and leant in to kiss the boy.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

Carlos tried to control his sobs but found it near impossible. His cheek hurt, his chin hurt, his back hurt _and_ he was scared. He didn't want to be beat up, and more importantly, he did _not_ want his older brothers hurt. They would blame him. They would _hate _him.

Carlos felt the beginning of a panic attack settling in. He needed to calm down and fast. Forgetting about his lunch box, he ran into the closest male bathroom. Locking himself in a toilet stall, he cried and tried to calm himself down. After 10 minutes, he had stopped crying and exited to stall. Washing his face under the faucet, he looked up at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were puffy and red and he still hand soft red marks from Matt's grip on his chin and slap to his cheek.

Signing, he made his way back to class, hoping Mrs Peachers wouldn't notice anything.

**Done! Hoped you liked it. Longer than my last chapter! YAY!**

**Review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**OK, OK, I know! It's been, like, 7 months… Eeekkk. I'd be annoyed too! Sorry I just lost inspiration! I couldn't write anything… So I took a break. A long break… Anyway, I hope you still like the story and enjoy the update! You've been waiting long enough for it! ENJOY!**

"Ahh, there you are buddy!" James called out when Carlos finally turned up at their meeting place at the school gates.

"Hi James." Carlos said timidly, the events from lunch time still vivid in his mind. "Where are Kendall and Logan?"

"Logan is at science club until late, so mum will pick him up tonight, and Kendall just ran past me. Mustn't have wanted to walk with us. Or maybe he was in a rush? Who knows?"

"Oh. Alright." Carlos mumbled, hefting his heavy school bag higher up on his shoulders.

"So how was your day 'Litos?" James asked, slightly worried features showing on his face at his brothers' sad persona.

"Alright." They walked in silence for a couple more moments until Carlos spoke again, "If you like someone, a-and then you kiss someone else… What's that called?"

"Cheating." James answered, confused as to why a 6-year-old would ask that.

"Oh. Is cheating bad?" Carlos looked up with big eyes.

"Yes, it is. It can hurt people's feelings."

"And, w-what is prostution?"

"Prostution? Do you mean prostitution?"

"Yeah, that! What is it?"

"Ah." James stopped, _how can I answer that?_, "why do you want to know?"

"Well… I-I… at lunch I saw someone cheating." Carlos whispered, looking to see if anyone else was around.

"You did? Who?" James asked, eyes worried.

"Jo."

"What!?" James gasped, stopping in his tracks, "As in, Kendall's Jo?"

"Uh huh." Carlos nodded.

"Does Kendall know?"

"Yes."

"Does he know that you know?"

"No. I-I was… ahh… spying?" Carlos played with the bottom of his shirt.

"Damn." James signed, feeling bad for Kendall, "But, how does prostitution come into this?"

"Well Jo and the o-other guy saw me and they were really, really mean! T-they said we were a-adopted failures and – and he don't have a f-future outside of protutuion!" Carlos gasped out quickly.

"Prostitution." James corrected, teeth clenched together in anger at the rude comments.

"Yeah, that! A-and they… they…" Carlos lower lip trembled as he looked up at James with wet eyes.

"They what, Carlos?" James asked soothingly, kneeling down to Carlos' level.

"The guy slapped me! A-and hurt my chin! A-a-and threw away my l-lunch box!" Carlos burst out into tears, throwing himself into James' embrace, crying into his shoulder.

"Shhh, it's ok buddy. It's all over now." James whispered into Carlos' ear, hugging him tight.

"No it's not! They – they said if I told, t-they would beat me! Really bad! S-said mama would sent me back! I-I-I don't wanna g-g-o back! And – a-and he w-would hurt o-or k-kill you, Kendall and Logie! Oh my god, o-oh m-my g-g-od! I told! I-I-I! No! I-'m s-s-orry! I didn't m-mean to!" Carlos wailed loudly.

"Shhhhh! Don't worry, don't worry. I'll protect you. They are only 14, 'Litos, they can't do that. They were just trying to scare you. It was all a lie. They won't hurt you and they won't hurt Kendall, Logan or I. Do you understand that?" James pulled Carlos back and looked him in the eyes as the crying boy nodded, "Do you trust that I'll protect you?" Carlos nodded again. "Good. Now come here you." James smiled and swept Carlos up into his arms, balancing him on his hip. He started to walk home again, with Carlos softly sniffling in his arms.

James thought about the conversation he had just had. _Why would Jo and this other bloke threaten Carlos _that_ bad just to keep him from telling someone that they were cheating? Maybe they thought he witnessed more than he had? Maybe there is something more sinister going on? I should talk to Kendall. _

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

"Kendall?" James asked tenderly as he lightly pushed open the door of their 4-way shared bedroom.

"What?" Kendall snapped, staring angrily at James from where he was perched on his bed.

"I ummm…" James closed the door behind him, "I know what happened… Between you and Jo."

"What!? How!?" Kendall shrieked, ripping his earphone out.

"Carlos saw what happened and told me." James started, "Don't get angry at him for it! He wanted to help!"

"What exactly did _Carlos_ see? He's 6! He doesn't know anything!" Kendall growled defensively.

"He saw Jo cheating on you." James slowly walked closer.

"I-is that all he saw?" Kendall asked suspiciously, shoulder relaxing slightly.

"Kind of. Jo and…"

"Matt." Kendall filled in for him.

"Jo and Matt saw him. And ahh… confronted him about spying on them. He stood up for you and they ahh… you know, insulted him, us, roughed him up at little and then threatened him not to tell anyone."

"Carlos stood up for me! What the fuck!? God! That is so embarrassing! A 6-year-old just stood up for me!" Kendall seethed in anger.

"A 6-year-old standing up for you _is_ embarrassing, but, a 6-year-old _didn't _stand up for you. Your _brother_ did. And your brother standing up for you _isn't_ embarrassing." James growled back.

"_Fuck!_" Kendall whined.

"Do you even care what they said to him?!" James yelled.

"No! Not really!" Kendall yelled back.

"They said that we all are adopted failures and that we don't have a future outside prostitution! They said that to a _6-year-old_! Who does that? They also threatened, that if he told, they'd severely beat him up and either hurt or _kill_ us as well! What kind of people do you hang out with, Kendall!?" James was right in Kendall face now.

"Pfft! They were just messing with him." Kendall said slightly uneasily.

"Want to know what I think?"

"No."

"I think, the reason why they threatened him so harshly, was because they think he saw more than he did. What else happen at lunch Kendall?" James' voice was low and threatening.

"Nothing. They were just messing him up." Kendall bit back through gritted teeth.

"Tell me now!" James grabbed Kendall by his collar, lifting him from the bed to stand in front of James. Shaking him, he yelled out again, "NOW!"

"Get your _hands_ off me." Kendall snarled.

"Kendall You better Te-" James was interrupted.

"_Get your hands off me."_ Kendall roared.

After a minute of staring at each other, James roughly released Kendall, only to be interrupted

"Are you going to te-"

Kendall swang his fist at James face, hitting him solidly in the jaw, the taller boy falling the ground.

"You hit me!" James gasped angrily.

"Don't mess with me again."

James was about to jump up and hit back when the bedroom door swung open with a soft thud.

"W-what's going on in here? I hear yelling!" Carlos gasped, eyes wide when he saw James on the floor with Kendall standing above him. "Did you do that!?" Carlos asked Kendall while pointing at James.

"Yeah. I did. Take it as a warning shrimp." Carlos gasped and covered his mouth with his hand.

"I could always ask Jo or Matt, you know?" James threatened, trying to stir attention away from Carlos and back onto himself. "Or Mum."

"And I could always knock your teeth out, you know" Kendall mimicked, kneeling down beside James to whisper in his ear, "Or Carlos'."

James' muscles tensed, wanting to retaliate but not with Carlos in the room. "Stay away from him. He was doing the right thing. You're the one who has fucked up." He whispered back.

"What are you whispering about?" Carlos whined, "whispering is rude!"

"Nothing Carlitos." James said back, standing up.

"Carlitos?" Kendall laughed, "Naw! You two have become quite the couple haven't you?"

"No. We became brothers." James snarled.

"Jamie!" Carlos tugged lightly on James' sleave, "What's going on?"

"Jamie, cute." Kendall laughed again.

"Let's go play! Yeah?" Carlos squeaked happily, oblivious to the thick tension in the room.

"Yeah _Jamie_! Off you go! Run along now and go play!" Kendall tormented. "Ba-bye!"

"Come on bud." James took Carlos' hand into his, eyeing Kendall dangerously. "Let's go." He lead the youngest boy out of the bedroom and outside to play.

"Fuck! That was intense!" Kendall gasped out, relieved. "Phew. They know nothing."

He retreated back to his bed and put his earphones back in, cranking the music up and closing his eyes.

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

Logan arrived home later that afternoon, rushing upstairs to have a shower before dinner. He walked into their bedroom and saw Kendall on the bed, music blaring eyes closed. The genius shook his head, _he can't even hear me come in! That iPod is destroying his ear drums!_

Signing, he walked into the ensuite, however tripped over when his shoe got caught on the side of the toilet. Groaning softly, he rolled onto his stomach about to push himself up. However, before he could, something caught his eye. A plastic bag hidden behind the bathroom cabinet. Frowning, he reached out and retrieved the bag.

He gasped.

And dropped the bag.

Controlling his breathing and heart rate, he carefully picked the bag up again, studying its contents.

Hundreds of small, white, unmarked, un-prescribed pills.

His eyes widened.

Drugs.

One of the other 3 boys were using, selling or somehow making drugs. In a rush, he stuffed the bag back into its hiding space and jumped into the shower. Having an extra long shower to come to terms with his new frightening discovery.

**BAM! Who saw that one coming!? It's nearly as unexpected as my update! Haha! I hoped you liked it and like where I am taking this story. Please, if you have any suggestions review. I take all into consideration! Also, reviews keep me going. Want more? Review.**

**Review**

**Review.**

**Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**YAY for you guys! Another update! Luckily for you, I have received some more inspiration and am trying to continue updating! Unfortunately, it's bad timing with school starting. So, I will be trying to update as much as possible, but school comes first! Sorry! I hope you enjoy this chapter and I would also like to thank everyone for their review. They truly make my day and keep me writing!**

**GOING TO WARN YOU KNOW: SPELLING MISTAKES WILL APPEAR! I WROTE THIS WHEN I WAS TRIED AND DIDN'T CHECK! SORRY!**

"Alright, James. There's some pasta on the stove, the chicken is nearly cooked, so just add the pesto when it's done, which should be in… Maybe, 5 or so minutes?" Jennifer ran around the kitchen making sure everything was ready, "You'll need to set the table, just get the boys to help you with that. Oh, and pour the drinks! Carlos has milk, Logan has water and Kendall usually has juice, just ask him to make sure! Carlos uses the small bowl and Kendall will be eating about the same amount as you now. Give Logan slightly less. Um, what else have I forgotten?"

"Mum, relax. It's just dinner. I'm 16, I think I can handle it." James laughed as he continues to stir the chicken, "If I need any help, I'll ring you. You just go, you should have left 10 minutes ago."

"Oh my gosh, your right!" Jennifer gasped, grabbing her car keys, "Thank you James." She gave his cheek a kiss before whispering in his ear, "Please, no fighting."

"I'll do my best." James nodded, smiling lightly.

"Bye boys!" Jennifer yelled out to the rest of the boys who were scattered around the house. "James, I should be back later tonight, I just have some business to work out. If I'm not back before you four head to bed, don't fret. I'll sneak into your room when I get home and let you know, alright?"

"Yes mum! Just leave!" James laughed as his mother ran out the door, starting the car and driving off. "Carlos! Want to come help me with dinner?"

The sound of the soft pitter-patter of feet down the staircase confirmed James' question for him. "What can I do?" Carlos gasped, grasping onto the hem of James' shirt, looking up to him.

"Well," James swooped Carlos up onto his hip, holding him with one arm, "Think you can help stir the chicken?"

"YES!" Carlos smiled.

"Alright. Here is the spoon. Now just slowly move the chicken around in a circle." James used his free hand to help Carlos hold the wooden spoon and stir the chicken. "Wow, Carlitos! You're really good at this! Maybe, when you're older, you'll become Chef Carlitos!"

Carlos gasped and looked up at James, "Really? You think so?"

"You can do anything you put your mind to Carlos."

"But, what about what Jo said? She says I haffta go into prostution." Carlos frowned, disheartened.

"It's Prostitution. And ignore what she says. She's stupid and doesn't know what she is talking about. You can do anything Carlos." James growled, hatred growing for Jo and Matt. "By the way, I don't want you to ever speak to them again. Alright? If you see them, steer clear. Why were you in the middle school anyway?"

"I-I was going to find you and ask to s-sit with you because I have no friends and some older kids were sitting in my corner." Carlos said as if it wasn't much of a problem.

"Why don't you have any friends, Carlos?" James added the pesto to the chicken before looking sadly into Carlos' warm brown eyes.

"I don't know. No one likes me. I look different. And I'm s-smaller. And I talk weirdly. And I can't keep up at s-soccer. A-and I used to wake everyone up at n-nap time when I had nightmares. A-and I don't know the TV shows they watch because I-I never watched TV. And I don't have a p-phone. And, well, I guess alotta things." Carlos signed.

"You should try to make some friends Carlos. When was the last time you tried to make a friend?" James asked, not really knowing how to deal with this excluded little boy.

"Um, I dunno. Maybe, 2 weeks ago?" Carlos frowned, trying to remember.

"And how did that go?"

"He said I s-should go p-play Hop Scotch because I was really good at hopping borders. I thought he was gonna come play too but he p-pushed me and ran off with his friends."

"Oh." James looked back towards his cooking, unable to look Carlos in the eye. The young boy had no one. No one but Jennifer, and now, him. "You know Carlos, you could always come and sit with me. I can't assure you that everyone will talk to you, or even that you'll understand anything going on, but, it'd be better than sitting alone right?"

"Really? You'd let me?" Carlos squealed happily.

"Yeah, how about I drop by your classroom at lunch and walk you to where I sit?" James placed the boy on the ground.

"Yeah! I'd like t-that!" Carlos clapped his hands together.

"Good. Logan! Kendall! I need help with dinner!" James yelled out, starting to serve the pesto chicken.

"I'll be back in a second! I need to get something!" Carlos said before running off to his bedroom as the two middle brothers came downstairs.

"Alright, can you guys set the table please? Carlos has milk, I'll have water and you two can have whatever you like. Also, Logan, if you could grab some text books for Carlos again, that would be great. The booster seat is with mum. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes." James rushed, draining the pasta.

Both boys mumbled protests and rolled their eyes, however preceded with what they were asked. Within 5 minutes, everything was ready on the table, James lifted Carlos onto his seat and the boys ate their dinner in silence.

"So, Logan, how was your day?" James asked awkwardly, trying to start a conversation.

"Mediocre." Logan huffed.

"What's up?" James asked, slightly concerned.

"Nothing." Logan eyed James suspiciously while he replied.

"Alright… Kendall, when are your hockey tryouts?" James stated uneasily, the tension thick.

"Why do you care?" Kendall glared at James, a small, evil smirk playing at his lips.

"Far out! I'm just asking a question! Bloody answer it!" James exclaimed, sick of Kendall's punk attitude.

"Fuck. You." Kendall smiled, eyes taunting James.

James groaned and returned to eating, silence settling over the table once again.

"I-I made you g-guys s-something." Carlos whispered lightly, however in the silence, they all heard him.

"That is fantastic 'Litos. How about you show us?" James smiled at the youngest brother.

"Here!" Carlos squealed, holding up 3 bright cards. I made you each one!" Carlos handed the orange one to James, the Blue one to Kendall and the Green one to Logan. He then sat anxiously, waiting for their reactions.

James read his card:

_To Jaymz,_

_Fanks for workin we to scool!_

_Yoo made me happi!_

_I lov yoo!_

_Carlos._

James smiled as he read his card, the standard of spelling and writing was well below a 6 years olds', but now that he knew about Carlos' 'problems' he understood how hard this would have been for him and how much effort he would have put in.

Logan read his card:

_To Logi,_

_I wis I was as smrt as yoo! _

_Yoo must no evrythin!_

_And thats reele cool!_

_Carlos._

As Logan read his card he couldn't help but judge the young boy on his horrible spelling, grammar and writing. When he was this age, he was hand-writing essays on Judaism or Aerodynamics. The kid was stupid. How could Logan praise him for this? _You learn from your mistakes. Tell him it's bad and he'll learn from it… Right?_

Reluctantly, Kendall read his card:

_To Kendol,_

_Me may not b broffas bye blud, but no mata wot, yoo wil all ways b my broffa._

_I wil all ways lov yoo._

_Hopfuly, won day, yoo wil lov me to!_

_Carlos._

Kendall huffed when he read his card, willing the young boys' words not too affect him. _This won't bring buck my mother! This won't cure my nightmares! This won't do anything! Friends and family mean nothing. They just turn around and stab you in the back! Like Jo! _

"Thank you very much Carlos. The card is wonderful! And I love you to." James smiled sincerely at the little boy who beamed with delight.

Carlos then looked toward Logan, who looked back and then looked away, not saying anything.

"Logie? Do you like it? I've been working on my writing! I don't get the l-letters muddled up as much anymore! I still can't s-spell, but I am improving!" Carlos waited for Logan to reply.

"Slowly."

"Huh?" Carlos tilted his head slightly to the left.

"You're improving slowly. This card is barely decipherable. You must have spelt more than half of the words incorrectly!" Logan pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Sorry. I s-still tried though. Kendall?" Carlos mournfully turned around to Kendall, dreading a mean reply.

"I've said this once and I'll say it again. We will _never_ be brothers! I will _never _love you! This card won't change anything because it is a piece of shit!" Kendall growled out harshly, standing from the table. He grabbed the card and crushed it into a ball, throwing it into the bin.

Carlos jumped down from his chair and watched as he precious creation was broken and thrown away. His heart broke and tears spilled from his eyes. He had thought that those cards were perfect! That they would help bring them together as a family! He thought wrong.

Kendall turned to storm away, but an emotion other than devastation blasted through Carlos' little body. It was anger. _He_ was angry. _How could Kendall say that! Do that! How dare he, after I wasted my whole lunch hour on it! I need to hurt him, say something mean… but what? What's the meanest thing I could say?_

"Well, I-I'm…" Carlos paused after he got Kendall's attention, _What can I say?_, "I'm happy Jo c-cheated on you!"

James eyes widened comically as Logan choked out a surprised gasp, "She did what?"

Kendall froze. Mixed emotions flowing through him. Carlos watched carefully, not sure whether to regret what he had just said and apologize. Carlos wasn't a mean boy and could already feel the guilt burning him inside out.

"K-K-Kendall?" Carlos stuttered out, waiting for a reaction.

"I'm…" Kendall paused, "going to fucking bash your head in!" He spun around and charged at Carlos who screamed when he was tackled roughly to the floor.

"Kendall! Stop! Get of him, now!" James screeched, rushing around the table and frantically trying to pull Kendall off of Carlos.

"I'm going to kill you, you worthless piece of shit! I going to bloody skin you alive and make you eat it! I hate you! I hate you!" Kendall screamed as he hit the youngest boy across the face, all the while trying to prevent James from taking him away.

"Oh my god." Logan gasped watching the events unfold, _I should do something!_ He jumped in to help James pull Kendall off, who was viciously trying to attack Carlos.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry! I–I'm sorry! I d-didn't m-mean i-it! OW! STOP IT P-PLEASE! IT H-H-HURTS! I'll b-b-be g-good, I'll b-be g-g-good!" Carlos whimpered and screamed pathetically, becoming weaker by the second.

"You have no idea what she did to me! None! She fucking ruined my life and now I'll ruin yours!" Kendall landed a devastating blow to Carlos' eye before he was roughly pulled off and restrained by James. Logan ran over to Carlos who was whimpering in pain, bordering on unconsciousness.

James was able to calm Kendall down enough to send him to his room, where he heard, not saw, Kendall burst out into tears. Signing, Logan also went up to comfort and watch the distressed boy.

Heading back downstairs, James grabbed an ice-pack and sat on the couch his Carlos in his lap. He placed the ice-pack on Carlos' bruised eye, earning a small groan.

"It will help. I promise. You just have to be brave for me, alright Carlos?" James signed, holding Carlos' head still with his other hand. "Why'd you say that Carlos? You know it was mean."

"I was angry! I didn't know what to do so I said the meanest thing I could think of! He threw away my card!" Carlos burst into tears again.

James signed once again, deciding to let Jennifer deal with this when she is home. Instead he just hugged Carlos to him until the child fell asleep. He heard the lights switch off upstairs not long after, and placed the ice-pack down, waiting for his mum to arrive home.

Little over an hour later, Jennifer snuck into the house, surprised to see James awake and one the couch, with Carlos cuddled on his lap.

"James, honey, what are you doing up this late? You should be in bed." Jennifer walked around to the front of the couch watching as her eldest son just looked at her with red-rimmed eyes. She glanced down and gasped as she saw the bruises marring her youngest' face. Before she could even ask, James spoke up.

"Never leave me to do dinner. Ever again. Please." James broke down into sobs.

Jennifer carefully moved Carlos to the single seat before hugging James to her comfortably, letting him too, like his littlest brother, cry himself to sleep.

**DONE! And wow, aren't you guys lucky! That was a long chapter! With fluff and action! I Hope you liked it! I have great plans! And no, I didn't forget about the drugs! Logan just hasn't acted on them yet! Your enthusiasm for the story certainly fuels me, so thank you to everyone who reviews!**

**Review!**

**Can I get 10?**


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